first time Mac user

i just picked up an old imac from a friend for cheap, and i am wondering what steps i should take to make it like new again. That is, erase any left over junk from the previous owner, reset any system passwords, etc. I did not receive any disks with it, and have not purchased a router yet to connect to the internet. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Ok, do you know what model it is and whats inside as far as hardware goes, it'll help trust me.

nbrowser said:

Ok, do you know what model it is and whats inside as far as hardware goes, it'll help trust me.

Click to expand...

this is gonna sound dumb, but keep in mind i am a complete rookie. What would be an easy way to identify the model and any other info? i have no manual or anything. all i know is it is a clear blue imac. is there an identification page somewhere when i boot it up?

when you are on your desktop, top l/h corner, under the Apple symbol, about this mac, then press more info.
Post the result here so we can assist you more

podraig said:

when you are on your desktop, top l/h corner, under the Apple symbol, about this mac, then press more info.
Post the result here so we can assist you more

Click to expand...

Under about this Mac:

Mac OS X version10.3.9
processor 350MHz power pc G3


Under More Info:
CPU type Power PC 750(32.1)
number of CPUs 1
CPU speed 350 MHz
L2 cache 512 kb
memory 192 mb
BUS speed 100 MHz
Boot ROM version 4.1.9f1


Is the serial number relevant in the identification?

You won't be able to put the newest OS X version on there (10.5 - Leopard). I "think" you could put Tiger (10.4) on it, but maybe someone with more experience with older machines can chime in. I'm pretty positive you could put Panther (10.3) on it. I bet eBay or maybe even someone here has an older OS X disk for cheap (especially Panther).

You might not be able to run some of the newer apps, but it should run a browser alright. I'd just reinstall the best version of OS X you can get for it and run with that.

Good luck with your purchase!

Your model can be upgraded to OS X 10.4 "Tiger" (the previous OS to Leopard). You might want to just buy an install CD for Tiger and do a totally fresh reinstall.